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Macbeth Comprehensive Test Review
Answer each of the following questions.
1. What does the witches’ line “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” suggest? (1.1)
Things are not what they seem
2. Who is sentenced to death? Why? (1.2)
Thane of Cawdor; he was a traitor
3. What do the witches predict for Macbeth? For Banquo? (1.3)
Macbeth – he will become Thane of Cawdor and king; Banquo – his descendants will be kings
4. Macbeth says, "Stars, hide your fires, Let not light see my black and deep desires." What are Macbeth's desires?
(1.4)
He wants to be king, and he will kill Duncan to be king
5. Why must Duncan’s sons flee the country? (2.3)
They fear for their lives
6. What were evidences of unrest in nature because of Duncan’s murder? (2.4)
Duncan’s horses fought and ate each other, the ground shook and chimney blew down, an owl killing a falcon
7. What does the “barren scepter” Macbeth refers to symbolize? (3.1)
He will have no heirs to the throne
8. When the ghost appears at the banquet, who can see it? (3.4)
Only Macbeth
9. Why does Lady Macbeth ask the guests to leave the banquet? (3.4)
Macbeth might reveal too much
10. Why is Hecate angry with the witches? (3.5)
They wasted their talents on an unappreciative person
11. What do each of the apparitions tell Macbeth? (4.1)
1 - to beware of Macduff, 2 – none of woman born shall harm Macbeth, 3 – Macbeth shall not be defeated until
Birnham Wood comes to Dunsinane (2 and 3 make him feel invincible)
12. While in her sleep, what is Lady Macbeth trying to do? (5.1)
Wash away imaginary blood spots
13. Why does Malcolm command the soldiers to cut branches? (5.4)
To conceal the number of soldiers
14. What does Macbeth’s “Tomorrow...” speech show? (5.5)
That he thinks life is meaningless
15. How does Macduff fulfill the witches’ prophesy? (5.8)
He was taken from his mother’s womb (caesarean section); not a natural birth
16. What does Malcolm call Macbeth in the end? (5.8)
A dead butcher
Identify the speakers of each of the following quotations.
13. “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow / Creeps in this petty pace from day / To the Last syllable of recorded
time.”
Macbeth
14. “We have scotched the snake, not killed it;”
Macbeth
15. “Out, damned spot! Out, I say!”
Lady Macbeth
16. “Boundless intemperance / In nature is a tyranny; it hath been / Th’ untimely emptying of the happy throne / And
fall of many kings”
Macduff
17. “Despair thy charm; / and let the angel whom thou still has served / Tell thee Macduff was from his mother’s womb
/ Untimely ripped.”
Macduff
18. “Fair is foul, and foul is fair, / Hover through the fog and filthy air.”
The Witches
19. “Your castle is surprised; your wife and babes / Savagely slaughtered.”
Ross
20. “Hail, king! For so thou art: behold, where stands / Th’ usurper cursed head, the time is free.”
Macduff
21. “All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand”
Lady Macbeth
22. “Macduff, this noble passion, child of / integrity, hath from my soul wiped / the black scruples”
Malcolm
Write the correct definition for each of the following terms.
23. Act:
The major division of a play
24. Allusion:
A recognizable reference to a person, a place, an event or a literary work
25. Anachronism:
Something that is out of place for the time (it didn’t exist in that time period)
26. Aside:
Lines spoken by and actor to himself or to the audience and the other characters on stage do not hear the comments
27. Blank verse:
A line of poetry consisting of ten syllables-an unaccented syllable followed by an accented syllable which is unrhymed
28. Climax: The point of greatest intensity, interest, or suspense in a narrative
29. Comic Relief:
Humor inserted into the play to break a serious mood
30. Exposition:
Background information, setting, and introduction
31. Foil:
A character that sets off another character by contrast
32. Foreshadowing:
The use of hints or clues in a narrative to suggest what will happen later
33. Irony:
A contrast between what is stated and what is really meant, or between what is expected and what actually happens
34. Motif:
A recurring feature (name, image, phrase) in a work of literature that contributes to the theme
35. Paradox:
A statement that reveals a kind of truth, although it seems untrue or contradictory
36. Plot:
Sequence of events in a literary work
37. Prose:
Ordinary writing, as distinguished from verse
38. Scene:
The smallest division of a play
39. Soliloquy:
A monologue or speech delivered by a character alone on stage in which he expresses his thoughts to the audience
40. Tragedy:
A serious drama usually describing a conflict between a protagonist and destiny
41. Tragic Hero:
A man of high birth with great promise, ability, and integrity; has a tragic flaw; dies at the end of the play because of
his flaw or fate or the gods
42. Tragic Flaw:
The defect in the tragic hero which leads to his downfall
Give an example of each of the following terms.
43. Exposition:
Witch’s initial speech
44. Rising Action:
Duncan’s murder
45. Climax:
Banquo’s murder
46. Falling Action:
Lady Macduff’s murder
47. Denouement:
Macbeth’s death
48. Aside:
Macbeth’s lines about the murder of Banquo during the feast
49. Comic Relief:
Lady Macduff’s conversation with her son
50. Irony:
“No; they were well at peace when I did leave ’em,” said by Ross about Lady Macduff and children
“This castle hath a pleasant seat; the air nimbly and sweetly recommends itself unto our gentle senses,” said by
Duncan before he enters Inverness
51. Foreshadowing:
“God, God forgive us all! Look after her; / Remove from her the means of all annoyance,” said by the Scottish doctor
of Lady Macbeth
52. Paradox:
“Lesser than Macbeth, and greater.”
53. Prose:
Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking dialogue
54. Soliloquy:
Macbeth’s “tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow” speech
55. Tragedy:
Macbeth goes from a respected noble to a despised tyrant and is killed in the end.
Be prepared to write an essay over one of these topics.
Compare and contrast Macbeth and Lady Macbeth – describe how their ambition is the same and how it is different.
Compare and contrast Macbeth, Macduff, and Banquo. Who is the play’s hero? Who is the play’s protagonist? Who is
the play’s protagonist? Who is the play’s antagonist?
Compare and contrast Lady Macbeth and Lady Macduff